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“No way,” Adaline said.
“Why not honey, it would be a dream come true for you to open your doors to customers,” Steph said from the end of the table.
I couldn’t believe how well this was going, I had prompted no one to talk about the shop. My plan was to voice the suggestion over dessert, hoping Adaline had consumed enough alcohol to be pliant.
“And I could be your shop manager, escape the monotony of menswear,” Felicity added.
Adaline switched glances from everyone at the table, back and forth. Finally, her gaze landed on me.
“Did you put them up to this?” Adaline asked me, I could hear the doubt and hurt she was feeling. I needed to remedy this.
“No,” I said and raised my hands. “Did I?” I asked the group.
“No,” they all chorused.
“I don’t know if I can afford it. If I secure this latest publication, it will set me up for a year. I was looking forward to spending a little of the money left over from paying the bills in advance for a year on me. It would cost all my profits to do up the shop.”
“We could do it for free, Callum can afford it, and I work for minimum wage anyway,” Scottie pleaded. When Adaline looked back to Felicity, Scottie gave me a quick wink. He was wasted as a carpenter.
“You’d want to run a tiny shop selling magazines?” Adaline asked Felicity.
“Yeah, it would be amazing. Customers coming in would be hardcore enthusiasts buying what they truly wanted. Beats recommending boxer shorts for men who look at my tits.”
I chuckled at her sales pitch.
“I could work on commission to start off, in case you’re wondering if you can’t afford a sales assistant.”
Adaline was silent, processing what everyone was saying. It took a full two minutes, I counted the seconds until a slow smile curled the corners of her mouth.
“Do you think we could do this on a shoestring budget?” She asked the group.
“Absolutely, we’ll all have a part to play,” Steph said and raised her glass. “I’ll scour the second-hand shops to get the furniture and shelving or whatever you need. Elliott can get his legal team at work sort out your contracts and make sure you’re in line with opening a shop.” Steph added.
Elliott nodded, giving me a quick glance, I nodded my approval, sitting back from Adaline’s eye line.
“Looks like you have no choice now,” Elliott said. He raised his glass too, indicating we all should. When we all had a drink raised, we clinked and cheered for Adaline.
“I don’t know what to call the shop. I never thought I could do this. Thank you,” Adaline said and looked at me in wonder.
My heart swelled with pride. I had already sketched ideas about the layout and showed Scottie last week. I could have hugged him for raising the subject. I was positive that if I said it, she would have outright refused.
Adaline
Not long after midnight, Elliott took Steph home. My mind buzzed with possibilities for the shop. My first thought when Scottie suggested it, was that I couldn’t run the store. Trying to read what people were saying would be too much. I didn’t want to misunderstand anyone. When Felicity asked to work in the shop, I could have jumped over the table and hugged her. It was when Scottie cornered me in Callum’s living room that my bubble burst.
“You’re going to have to tell him, you know,” Scottie said, he was facing me, staring at me with a meaningful look.
“Tell him what?” I said, hoping I could talk my way out of this conversation.
“That you’re deaf,” he said.
I felt like he’d punched me in the stomach. My mouth watered. I had that sinking feeling I used to get as a child when I was caught out lying. My heart pumped twice as fast. He wasn’t bluffing, somehow he knew for sure.
“I’m not deaf,” I replied, holding my chin higher, grinding my teeth to stop my lip from wobbling. I wanted to cry and confess everything. He was the first person who had worked it out, and there was compassion all over his face rather than the pity I expected.
“Maybe not completely, but you are pretty much there. Your lip reading is excellent.”
He kept quiet, giving me space to think. I softened at his compliment.
